Picture with figure forming cutouts



1956 B. B. RUBIN PICTURE WITH FIGURE FORMING CUTOUTS Filed April 5, 1954 INVENTOR are, I

United States Patent PICTURE WITH FIGURE FORMING CUTOUTS Barbara Blair Rubin, North Hills, N. Y.

Application April 5, 1954, Serial No. 420,891

1 Claim. (CI. 4635) This invention relates to toys or games, and more particularly to a type which involves the formation of one or more recognizable objects by placing together elements in certain relation, and which elements are in the form of cutouts taken from a base member in sheet form.

It is an object of the invention to provide a base member or sheet provided with a plurality of removable pieces or sections which, when contained in the body of the base member, constitute pictorial elements, which in cooperation with other elements pictorially represented on the base member, produce a picture, scene or other representation. It is an object of the invention to provide such removable pieces of shapes and colors which will enable the same, when removed from the base and properly fitted together, to produce a three-dimensional object or element, such as an animal, house, tree or other object.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a base member or sheet in which the removable pieces or cutouts are normally held in the same plane in the base, so that the base will constitute a holder or receptacle for these elements and will serve as a picture and a container for the parts of the game.

These and other objects to be hereinafter set forth, are attained by the invention, a more particular description of which will appear and be pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a game or toy constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the base member or board, with the cut-out pieces or removable parts separated from the board;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, showing a threedimensional figure erected from some of the parts of the game;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the figure shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another three-dimensional figure erected from some of the parts or cut-outs removed from the base member or board.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the body portion of the base member and herein referred to as the board. The same may be made of relatively thick wood, plastic, cardboard or any other suitable, easilyfabricated sheet material. Intimately and possibly adhesively secured to one face of the body portion 1 is a sheet 2 of backing material, such as heavy cardboard, metal, plastic or the like and which is preferably imperforate.

Cut out of the body of the board 1 is a plurality of removable elements or pieces, shown respectively at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, all of these elements being sur- 2,731,766 Fatented Jan. 24, 1956 rounded by parts of the body of the board 1 so that when they are lifted away from the body of the board 1, the recesses indicated at 18 will appear, which recesses conform in shape to the pieces removed from within them. Each one of the pieces indicated at 3 to 9 inclusive, closely fits within its particular recess 18 and will normally remain therein until manually lifted out. Thus, the entire board, with the pieces 3 to 9 inclusive in position in their respective recesses, might be hung up as a picture, or otherwise supported or suspended with the pieces remaining in place, the game in this form, presenting the aspect of a flat picture.

When the removable pieces 3 to 9 inclusive are in place in the body of the board, it will be noted that the same are backed by the backing sheet 2 so that the recesses 18 are in fact closed at one side and constitute pockets for receiving and holding the removable pieces. The pieces 3 to 9 inclusive are colored, printed or otherwise ornamented in a manner to enable the same to either form by themselves, pictures or a scene, or elements of a scene, or else co-operate with pictorial indicia printed or otherwise produced on the face of the board 1 and result in a complete picture, scene or other pictorial arrangement. For example, the part illustrated at 5 is shaped and colored to represent the trunk portion of a tree, and the part 4 the branches and foliage of the tree. The area indicated in dotted lines represents outline or coloring appearing non-removably on the face of the board 1 and co-operates with the removable element 4 in enlarging the foliage of the tree. Similarly, as indicated at 17, the part shown in dotted lines thereat represents the neck and head portion of the small giraffe whose hind legs are represented by the removable part 6. At 14 is shown tree foliage non-removable from the surface of the board 1 and co-operating with the removable parts 7 and 8 to form a complete tree. Also at 16 is shown a non-removable area on the board 1 and which represents the neck of one of the large giratfes, whose hind legs are formed by the removable element 9. It will thus be apparent that the game or toy, when in its initial state, is as shown in Fig. 1 wherein the several elements 4 to 9 inclusive are fitted in place in the apertures 18 and co-operate with the pictorial areas 14 to 17 inclusive in producing complete pictorial elements or objects or a complete picture or scene. In this initial condition, the game is thus in the form of a placque or sheet which can be freely handled, hung up or displayed.

When it is desired to utilize the removable elements or cut-outs 3 to 9 inclusive for the purpose of constructing one or more three-dimensional articles, these cutouts are removed from the recesses 18 and fitted together in a manner to form one or more of the objects. For example, the body of the giraffe shown at 3 is placed with the legs 9 and the hind legs 6 to produce the three-dimensional figure shown in Figs. 4 and 5, which figure will stand up on any flat surface. The edge of the part 6 is notched as shown at 11 to enable it to be fitted on the body 3, while the part 9 is similarly notched as shown at 10 for the same purpose. Fig. 6 shows the manner in which a representation of a tree can be erected by the employment of the elements indicated at 4, 5, 7 and 8. It will be noted that the part 7 forms the trunk of the tree and a part of the foliage thereof, while additional foliage is added by connecting the part 4 to the upper end of the part 7. This attachment is attained through the aperture 12 in the part 4 being snugly fitted on the upper end of the trunk part 7. The part 5 is fitted transversely of the part 7 by being inserted into the notch 13 provided in the forward extension of the part 7. The part 8 is also fitted on the upper end of the part 5, and for this purpose an aperture 19 is provided in the foliage part 8. The ends of the part 5 act as supporting feet for the structure thus produced so that the same can be rested upon any flat surface and will be self-supporting.

It will be observed that when the removable elements 3 to 9 inclusive are removed from the board 1, the board 1 still remains intact and permits the elements 3 to 9 inclusive to be easily replaced in their proper recesses 18 when it is desired to dismantle the erected structures of Figs. 4, S and 6 and replace them in the board. This distinguishes the present structure from the conventional jig-saw puzzle in which the body of the puale is completely dissected and thus breaks up or separates into pieces when the various elements are moved out of interlocking relation.

While I have herein shown in the drawing that the pictorial elements shown in the game can be in the form of trees and animals, it will be apparent that the same may be made in a multitude of other forms, such as figures of human beings, articles of furniture, buildings and many other objects, all of which are comprehended as being within the invention and scope of the claim appended hereto.

What I claim is:

A toy comprising a fiat board of uniform thickness imprinted on one of its faces with a complete recognizable picture including three picturizations of a four legged animal, comprising a plurality of pictorial elements arranged to cooperate while on the board in the formation of said picture, some of said elements, including portions of said picturizations, being imprinted directly on and forming a unitary part of the board and inseparable therefrom, the remainder of said elements including the remaining portions of said picturizations being in the form of cutouts separable from the board, said remaining portions comprising two inverted U-shaped parts simulating the lower rear body and legs of two of the animals and a part simulating the upper body of the third animal, and when separated from, the board leaving discrete complementary recesses in the board each completely surrounded by the unitary portion of the picture, and a backing for the board closing one side of the recesses to form pockets for removably containing the cutouts, said leg part cutouts being notched at the top of the bight, the width of the notches being substantially the thickness of the board, whereby the leg parts can be crossfitted on the upper body part to produce a separable three dimensioned standabie replica of the animal depicted in said complete picture, said cutouts when in place in said board forming parts of the separate picturizations of said animal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

